Thoughts on Money

That was our first lesson. To earn money, we did some house chores that we called “job-jobs”.

You could only do the paying “job-jobs” after your regular household chores.

She continued to build on this by talking to us about our futures and encouraging us to save to meet different goals instead of spending it all.

This is the kind of work we do as financial advisors. We help clients lean into the tension between money and meaning. It’s not about quick answers! It’s about living with the questions long enough to align their money with what truly matters.

Risk isn’t a measure of negative consequences. It’s a measure of uncertainty. And the issue with minimizing risk is that while we protect our downside, we prevent ourselves from achieving any sort of meaningful upside. In this way, risk minimization isn’t an insurance policy as much as it is a collar, and the cost of protecting our downside is the... See more

Being "good with money" means you know how to USE it. Saving money is one use, but it's not the exclusive way to put your money to work for you .

Here is one that I’ve encountered time and again: marketing is the mother of revenue. Some of you might wince at the idea of self-promotion and all of your biases with the word marketing. When it comes to gigantic corporations, I do too. But let’s consider this in a small business context, where you work in and with your community. In this sense,... See more

"I just found this hammer. What should I do with it?"

Kind of a weird question, right? But it's just like asking "What should I do with this money?"

Well, uh...I dunno. That's not nearly enough information.

A hammer is a tool.

Money is a tool.

You have to get clear on what you're trying to accomplish in life before anyone can tell you what to do with... See more

Small Planet Institute co-founder Anna Lappé once said:

“Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.”